The embodiments disclosed herein relate to methods and systems for efficiently producing high quality prints on various types of media.
It is known for a supplier of digital printers to provide customers with a Recommended Media List (RML) in the form of a spreadsheet which itemizes the types of print stock to be used with a particular machine and the print parameters to be used with each type of media. An operator sets up the machine by assigning to each media tray a media name selected from a media selection menu. When the media in a particular tray is changed, the operator selects a new media item from the list.
Techniques are known for tracking media to specific tray locations in a large set of printers. U.S. Pat. No. 6,647,222 discloses a method of operating a printer in which a database is maintained containing description data relating to paper tray contents associated with particular printers. The data for a large number of printers can be searched to locate trays which contain a desired type of media. In some cases, however, attempts to track media to certain locations will backfire when an operator of a printing machine changes the media in a tray without selecting the name of the new media from the media selection menu. Use of media that is not properly identified can result in jamming of the machine and/or blurry prints.
Early versions of RMLs required each parameter to be entered into the media library on each machine. More recently, a supplier of digital printers has been able to provide customers with an updated RML using a software patch. The data can be output in several software formats. This saves machine operators valuable time and minimizes data entry errors that otherwise may occur.
Known RMLs includes about twenty media attributes (properties) for each type of media. The media attributes typically include media characteristics, such as size, grade, color, coating type and weight. Subsystem attributes are not included on conventional RMLs.
In conventional printing of a single print job, the same set of transfer voltages is used for all media types. Typically, the transfer voltages used are an average of the recommended voltages for all of the different media types to be used in the single print job. As a result print quality often is lower when a print job contains several different media types as compared to a job that uses a single type of media. It would be useful to be able to take into account characteristics of the media that affect print quality but are not tied to readily measurable properties of the media.
In conventional color printing, instructions for the deposition of colored toners on a photoconductive belt do not take into account the color of the media. It would be useful to develop a system and method that can improve color quality in print jobs employing several different types of media. It also would be useful to develop a system and method for efficiently obtaining prints with true, identical colors on sheets of media having different degrees of whiteness.